Life Lesson #2: The Best thing you can ever be is a Good Person

Words can hurt. Or words can heal.  As I wrote in my first life lesson… I had an incident where careless words made life …. Seem enormous.  Less than 1 hour later words had the exact opposite effect. 

Someone I respect very much casually inquired about my day.  Although this person and I don’t always see eye – to – eye, we seem to have a mutual understanding that we both have the best of intentions.  So when he (I’ll use a gender since this is such a positive post) asked, I was raw enough that I implied my day stunk.  He could have left it there.  He could have just said, “I’m sorry,” and walked away.  He could have done a million things that would have left him feeling satisfied and left me still feeling the harsh sting of my earlier encounter.  Instead, this he went out of his way to seek me out and make sure I was really ok.  Not only that, but he stayed for a few minutes to see me regain my rhythm as I slowly put one foot in front of the other.  Here is a story I told my students Yesterday.  You can judge this story as you see fit – I told it to high school students.

The best thing you can ever be is a good person.  People don’t show up to a funeral because you were rich.

Head nods….

When I go… I hope there are a ton of people who come to see me off. I may even serve beer. (remember… high school students – they have heard of beer…. I’m not corrupting our youth!)

Shocked students:  Don’t talk like that! Don’t talk about death!

Why not?  There is only ONE certainty in life.  That is – someday we will all die.  I don’t plan for it to be anytime soon.  I plan to go when I am 80.  I plan for you all to go when you are 80 also.  BUT…. Someday I will go.  And when I do – it should be a party.  I don’t want tears of sorrow.  I want people to tell funny stories about the time I did *****.  I want people to laugh and celebrate the fact that I had a good run. 

I want people to come because I was a good person.

Head nods.

Smiles.

I think some of them will come (when I am 80.  And maybe tell this story)

Life Lesson #2 – The best thing you can ever be is a good person.